When I started playing City of Heroes, I wasn't aware that there was a special way you could log out your character to get bonuses the next time you log in. I thought, "Well, when you log out, you log out, and that's all there is." The process of logging out seemed as simple as going to "Menu" and selecting "Quit." But it was not so! Even your time off City of Heroes can benefit your future playing!

When you log out in specific areas within the game maps, you will get access to different benefits. Some temporarily boost your health, endurance, or XP gains; others give you a bonus of an Enhancement, a recipe, or a piece of salvage upon completing a mission. These benefits last for a limited time (usually about two hours) after the next time you log in, but they can be enough to help you through a mission (or 4 :D).

Find out what all the different benefits are on the Day Jobs page, which tells you where to log out, what the reward is, and what zones have each logout place. Also, visit the Accolades page to see how different Day Jobs work together to give you permanent benefits, like special powers!

Tip #1: Log out strategically, based on what boost you want most.

Example: do you want your character to move a little faster? Then you'll want to log out in a Train Station (Yellow Line, Green Line, and Ferries) to get the "Commuter" boost. Every time you log back in from being logged out in a Train Station, you'll move a bit faster than usual. Or, if you want to get more influence upon completing a mission, log out in the Vault Reserve to get the "Banker" boost.

Choosing your Day Job logout locations strategically like this can help you get the bonuses you want and need when you log in next--and it also builds up time to get your Day Job Badge! Most Day Jobs take a total of 21 days' worth of time being logged out in a certain location to get the Badge. Remember, Badges give you a chunk of experience when you get them--it can sometimes be just enough to push you to the next level!

Tip #2: Don't log out in the middle of a mission map.

If you log your character out in the middle of a mission map, you will automatically be put in a location directly outside the mission door--which may or may not put you in the line of fire for bad guys when you log back in! To ensure that you won't get shot or pummeled to pieces when you log in next, leave the mission (if you're on a team, you can simply quit the team and the game will port you outside), and then get to a safe spot outside the mission (in behind buildings or terrain works), or get to the closest Day Job location, which will usually be guarded by Police Drones.

Tip #3: Get Day Jobs that are easiest to get to first, when possible.

When you first start off, whether you're in Atlas Park or Galaxy City, the easiest Day Job to start on is City Official, gained only by logging off in City Hall (Atlas) or Freedom Corps Headquarters (Galaxy). Getting City Official early means that as a higher-level, you won't have to come back to Atlas Park to log out as often. The same goes for Wentworth's, AE, the Vault Reserve, the Vanguard Building, the Train Station, and the Police Station in Atlas, and for the Arena, AE, and Train Station in Galaxy--logging out in these places first helps you save time and load screens later on in your heroic career. Visit my Paragon City Zones page to see which zones have the Day Job location you currently need.